Couples on Tiger an exercise in fast thinking

Fred Couples has long been the Dean Martin of professional golf. Just breezing along, showing off great talent, loved by all, not making waves.

He's often been accused of underachieving, considering his abilities, but that can be largely attributed to his lifelong struggles with a bad back.

One accusation he's never faced is that of overthinking a subject.

So, when he got way ahead of the curve this week and said Tiger Woods has a standing invitation to be a captain's pick for this year's Presidents Cup team (Freddy is the American captain), it sorta confirmed the suspicion he doesn't want to engage in anything resembling contemplation.

When he tried to explain, it confirmed he's still not on a first-name basis with complete sentences, and just might be related (at least linguistically) to former NASCAR star (and current mid-packer) Bobby Labonte.

Freddy's explanation for the Tiger invite: "Yeah, well, I mean, it stands where I told him that he's going to be on the team. I kind of told ... the question came up ... and there's no reason for me to wait until Sept. 26 to pick Tiger. He's the best player in the world forever. I mean ... you guys ... is he playing well right now? No. He almost won Augusta three months, four months ago, so you don't do that by playing poor golf."

Not in April, anyway.

I read that and immediately considered the enjoyment that would come from a Couples-Labonte dinner conversation. Back when Bobby would draw a crowd for a press conference, he never disappointed (well, unless you were looking for answers). It's an example you want? Glad you asked.

Try this, from 2005 preseason testing at Daytona. Bobby was here, teammate Tony Stewart got a hall pass and skipped it. Bobby was asked if Tony's absence would be a disadvantage to the Gibbs Racing team.

In recent years, college football coaches have been blurring the line between themselves and politicians. It's no longer just a matter of lowering your own team's expectations or talking up an opponent. Urban Meyer shows that you can't be shy about protecting your own image even when you're off the sideline.

"I think Florida's going to be one of the most underrated teams. I think they're loaded," Meyer said on ESPN this week.

That goes against the conventional wisdom regarding what he left behind for Will Muschamp. Of course, it took a few years before Steve Spurrier admitted to leaving the cupboard "somewhat bare" for Ron Zook.

· The Daytona Beach Quarterback Club has moved to a more central location -- the Daytona 500 Club inside Daytona International Speedway. The QB Club's opening night is Sept. 12 with guest speaker R.C. Slocum, former Texas A&M coach. Others on the 10-week program include Muschamp, Lloyd Carr and Lee Corso.

· Bethune-Cookman's Oct. 1 trip to Miami to play the Hurricanes has always looked like a physical mismatch, and even with a few more suspensions at UM, it will continue to look that way. You're tempted to ask B-CU's Brian Jenkins if he'll rest his starters in the second half.

· Preseason barroom brawls tend to get your hopes up about a football team, but when one of the four participants is a quarterback, and only one is a linebacker, you have to wonder about LSU's chances this year.